As reported in American Medical News
By Kevin B. O'Reilly
Recently health officials updated their recommendations on preventing catheter-related bloodstream infections in light of successful efforts that have helped reduce the national rate of central-line infections in intensive care units by fifty eight percent between 2001 and 2009. The new guidelines were released in April by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee
Among the recommended infection-prevention measures, the new guidance calls for:
- Educating health professionals about when to use catheters, how to insert them and what infection-control measures to take when doing so.
- Designating trained, competent professionals to insert and maintain peripheral and central vascular catheters.
- Avoiding the femoral vein for central venous access in adult patients.
- Using a fistula instead of a central venous catheter in dialysis patients with chronic renal failure.
- Promptly removing any intravascular catheter that is no longer essential.
- Cleaning patients' skin with a chlorhexidine preparation with alcohol before inserting a central venous catheter.
To read the full article please visit: http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/04/18/prsb0419.htm?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
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